Britain’s deposit refund scheme for drinks bottle recycling has been postponed to 2027, meaning it will not come into force until almost a decade after it was proposed.
Campaigners said the delay was “deeply disappointing”, adding they were doubly disappointed that the plans did not include glass bottles.
Environment Minister Robbie Moore told Parliament on Wednesday that the plan does not include glass because glass recycling “poses undue complexity to the drinks industry and increases storage and handling costs for retailers.” said. Major drinks companies are lobbying the government to remove glass from the scheme across the UK.
He said the delay was because additional time was needed to synchronize England’s policies with those of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Scotland has agreed to remove glass from its plans at the request of the UK Government, but Wales is still including it.
Mr Moore said: “We will continue our dialogue with the Welsh Government and, if their position remains unchanged, we will protect the UK domestic market and ensure that businesses can continue to trade unhindered across the UK. We reiterate our obligation to promote free trade within the United States.” Ensure better prices and choice for consumers. ”
British consumers use an estimated 13 billion plastic drinks bottles a year. Only 7.5 billion pieces are recycled; the remaining 5.5 billion pieces are sent to landfills, littered, or incinerated. The scheme aims to reduce waste on land and sea by paying consumers a small amount of cash to return bottles and cans. Once returned, the retailer is responsible for properly recycling the container. The deposit return system has increased recycling rates to over 90% in other countries.
Sandy Luk, CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, said: “It’s such a shame that the new scheme won’t start for another three years and won’t even cover glass bottles. For the sake of our oceans, we can’t keep kicking cans and bottles. We can’t keep kicking cans and bottles. We urge them to accelerate this legislation and follow Wales’ ambition to include plastics, metals and glass.”
The charity Keep Britain Tidy estimates that 25 billion bottles and cans will be littered between now and the scheme launches. Alison Ogden-Newton, the charity’s president, said: “This delay means a sea of bottles and cans will continue to go unrecycled, needlessly piling up in bins and littering roadsides and green spaces.” Ta.
“It is very disappointing that glass has been excluded. Glass containers can cause fires and cause harm to people, pets and wildlife. This is why 78% of people would like to see them included in the deposit return scheme. We are delighted that Wales has shown the determination to pursue a best-in-class plan and encourage the rest of the UK to follow.”
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Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reid said: “We’ve had four prime ministers since the Conservative government first promised a refundable deposit scheme for bottle recycling. Still, it would be nearly a decade before they showed anything. Conservative The party doesn’t care at all about plastic bottles littering our streets, parks, rivers and seas.Labour will work with businesses across the UK to introduce a deposit return scheme that will stop this waste and clean up the environment. right.”
